Behind StarField CZ
An independent resource for Czech amateur astronomers, built by people who spend their free evenings outdoors with a telescope and a red flashlight.
How This Site Started
StarField CZ grew out of a simple frustration: most Czech-accessible astronomy resources in English were either too advanced for a genuine beginner or were written by someone who had clearly not stood in a field at 2 am in February trying to collimate a Newtonian by torchlight.
The first version was a few printed notes shared between members of a small observing group based near Brno. Over several years of regular observations — from Beskydy to the Jizera plateau to hillsides in Sumava — those notes turned into the practical guides you find here.
The focus has always been the same: what you actually need to know before you drive to a dark sky site, not a list of objects copied from a star atlas.
Our Approach to Information
Every telescope review on this site reflects at least two weeks of field use with the specific instrument. We do not accept equipment on loan from manufacturers, we are not affiliated with any Czech or international telescope retailer, and we do not earn commissions on purchases.
Astronomical data — event dates, planetary positions, eclipse paths — is sourced from and cross-checked against In-The-Sky.org, the International Astronomical Union's ephemeris tools, and the Czech astronomical resource Astro.cz. We cite dates in Central European Time and note any conditions that might affect Czech visibility (weather patterns, horizon altitude, lunar phase interactions).
When we are unsure about something, we say so. The night sky is not a topic where confident-sounding guesses serve the reader.
What We Cover
The three main areas of this site mirror the three questions most newcomers to amateur astronomy in the Czech Republic ask first. Which telescope should I buy? Where can I actually see a dark sky? And what is going to be visible this year?
The telescope guide covers optical designs in plain language, with specific model recommendations at three budget levels and a comparison table that does not require an optics background to interpret.
The dark sky locations guide documents six sites from Beskydy to the Sumava plateau, including the Jizera Dark Sky Park — one of Central Europe's first formally recognised dark sky reserves — with practical notes on access, altitude, and horizon quality.
The 2026 events calendar covers every significant celestial event visible from 50°N: meteor showers, planetary oppositions, eclipses, and notable conjunctions, with context about what makes each event worth planning around.